Mechanical drive for axle generators



May 12, 1925. 1,537,071A

- L. M. FARLEY MECHANICAL DRIVE FOR AXLE GENERATORS Filed DBC. 22, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet l May 12, 1925.

L. M. FARLEY MECHANICAL DRIVE FOR AXLE GENERATORS FiledDeC. 22. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 05 ts le* A M 1"" aww/mwa LMFarIey May 12, 1925. 1,537,071

| M. FARLEY MECHANICAL DRIVE FOR AXLE GENERATORS Filed Dec. 22, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 May 12, 1925.

L. M. FARLEY I' MECHANICAL DRIVE FOR AXLE GENERATORS Filed'Dec. 22, 1922 ai 225s S www Patented May 12, 1925i v PATENT OFFICEQ LAWRNCE FAZR'ILEY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

MECHANICAL DRIVE FOR AXLE GENERATORS.

Application filed December 22,1922. serial No. 608,547.

To all whom t may concern: f

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE M. FAR- LEY, a citizen of the United States. residing at Washington., in the District of Columbia.y have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MechanicalDrives for Axle Generators; and I do hereby declare the followingV to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willy enable other skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same;

This invention relates to friction drives for axle generators and hasy for its object-to provide a device of this character which will be simple in construct-ion, comparative ly inexpensive to manufacture, and more 'ef- `iicient in action than those heretofore pro` posed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists inthe no-vel details of construction and combinations of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularlyVr pointed` out in the claims. v j

Referring to the accompanying, drawings forming a part of this specification in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views .i

Figure l is a diagrammatic partially sectional view of a'device made in accordance with this invention;

Figure :2 isa plan view partially broken away of the parts shown in Figure .l g

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking'in the direction of the arrows;

yFigure 4 is a sectional view taken on kthe line 4 4 of Figure 3, looking in the direztion of the arrows: H y

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Figure l, looking in the direc,- tion of the arrows;

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail sec-tional 'view showing a friction control means. n

Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view partially in elevation illustrating the coupling between the shafts 6l and 65; and

Figure is a sectional view 'taken' on the line 8-8 of F igure 7, looking in the direction of the arrows.y y

In order that this invention may be the more clearly understood it is said z-As is well known many objections have been found in the practical operation of substantially all' the devices which have been heretofore proposed to operate from the car axle, electric generators employed for light` ing the car. In 'order to overcome some of these objections it has been heretofore pro posed to operate said `generators from the car axle by means of belt drives but the objections to these drives are familiar to those i skilled in thev art, and among them is the constant tendency of the belt to leave the pulley, the difficultyl of kgettinggf a belt fasf tener that is satisfactory in the usey to which it is put, etc. It rhas. also beenl proposed to support the electric generator on the truck so that the generator will move with the truck when going yaround curves, thus insuring that the generator' will be continuously andposi'tively driven while the truck isgoing inone direction and the car body in another. i proved to be likewise objectionable for reasons well known. among them it is found to -be very desirable `to get rid of the excessive vibration to which theaenerator is subjected when supported by the truck. In fart, so great have been the objections to truck supported generators in the past that today probably one halfof all of those heretofore supported on the truck have been moved to car body supports.

But this arrangement has` In addition to the foregoing operation of t electric generators from car axles it has been proposed to provide a positive drive from the axle to the generator. but devices made in accordance with this proposal have likej wise met with a number of objections, which are discussed in the publicationknown as t-he Railway Electric Journal for Gc-tober. i922. page 349. Among the object-ions pointed out in said publication, to positively Ldriven generators, may be mentioned the fact that a lsliding shaft is usually provided'necessitating at least two universal joints. and this said shaft alone has given rise to so many objections as to render the entire device far from satisfactory.k

In this invention, on the-other hand., I

avoid all of the foregoing objections and secure the advantages which it is recognized are very desirable in a car body hung generator.y That is to say, I support my geni erator from the bodv of the car, and'I lo` cate the drivingr shaft in the saniehorizontal plane as is the axis of the driven shaft 38 around which the other parts of` my mechanism oscillate when the car is rounding curves and subjected to sudden up and down movements. By this means, I am enabled to avoid the use of sliding shaft sections and also to maintain under all conditions an intermeshing of the driving beveled gears 39 and 60, so Athat the generator may be driven from the sprocket 55, the shaft 11, and the tread 10 smoothly and satisfactorily, no matter whether the car is rounding a curve or not. ln other words, I supportmy generator from the body of the car, and l use the friction connection sprocket drive illustrated, which at no time gets out of gear, no matter how the truck or car body may vary in their movements going armind a curve or under sudden up and down motions, as will now be made clear.

`llindicatcs a truck frame ofany usual or desired construction, 2 indicates the end sill of the frame 1, 3 the side sill thereof, 4 the arch bar of the frame, 5 the axle of the truck and 6 the usual wheels with which the truck is provided. 7 indicates a pulley like member convex in form as shown and having its curved surface 8 struck from the usual center pin, (not shown) of the truck. 9 indicates a friction tread or pulley having a concave surface 10', Figs. 1 and 3, registering with or fitting the convex surface 8 of the pulley 7, and mounted upon the short shaft 11 as a center. Said shaft 11 is hung` upon the carrier support 12 best shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. Said carrier support is provided with a pair of downwardly7 projecting members 27 between which said tread 9 is located and through which said shaft 11 passes. Said members 27 are also provided with a pair of recesses 13 and 14 into which a pair of ball bearings 15 and 16 lit. adapt-` ed to support the ends 17 and 18 of the shaft 11, all as will be clear from Fig. 3. .Said carrier support 12 extends from said bearings upwardly as shown and is hollowed out at its upper portion as indicated at 19 to accommodate the stationaryv hollow shaft 20. Said hollowed out portion 19 'of the carrier support 12 is provided with a wear bushing v21 rigid therewith and which oscillates around said hollow shaft as a center, as will be more fully disclosed below.

rlhe hollow upper portion of said carrier support 12 is located in the space provided between a pair of lugs 25 and 26. carried by the support frame 24 rigid with the beam 22 supporting the car body 23, as best shown in Fig. 1. Said tread pulley 9 is mounted in or` carried by the central core 29 rigid with the shaft 11 by any suitable means as for example a key 30. Associated with the shaft 11 is a pair of gasket like members 31 made of any suitable material which is secured to the downwardly projecting members 27 as by the screws 32. The function of these gaskets 31 is to prevent grease or oil from escaping from the chambers 33 and 34 along said shaft 11 into the spaces 35 and thereupon losing the same. Said hollow stationary shaft 2O above mentioned, is supported by the lug like projections 25 and 26 above described, as plainly shown in Fig. 3, and mounted in recesses in said hollow shaft 2O are a pair of ball bearings 36 and 37 in which is supported the rotating idler shaft 38 provided on one end with the bevel gear 39 and sprocket wheel 40 as shown.

Disposed between the ball bearings 36 and 37 is a pair of gaskets 41 to prevent the escape of grease. Also located outside of the ball bearing 36 is a grease cap 45 and located outside the ball bearing 37 is a somewhat similar grease cap 46. The said grease cap 46 is provided with the gasket 47 as shown to prevent the escape of grease, and outside the said gasket 47 is located a hous` ing 48 with stationary members 49, 50 and 51, the last two being spaced apart as shown. Fitting between the stationary members 50 and 51 are the oscillating members 52 of the housing 48 which oscillates with the shaft 11 while maintaining the housing 48 dust tight. Located in said members 52 of the housing on one end of the shaft 11 is the sprocket wheel 54 over which passes the sprocket chain 55 which also passes over the` sprocket wheel 40 as shovvn.`

So far as has now been disclosed it will be clear that as the axle 5 of the truck rotates .it will also rotate the pulley 7 and the convex surface 8 thereof will rotate the tread or concave pulley 9 which in turr will rotate the shaft 11. which latter in turn will rotate the sprocket 54 and through the sprocket chain 55 transmit power to the sprocket 40, the shaft and bevel gear 39. As best shown in Fig. 1., said bevel gear 39 meshes with a bevel gear carried by the shaft 61 supported by the member 62 rigid with the support frame 24, which in turn is rigid with the girder 22 of the car, se-e Fig. 1. Said shaft 61, however, passes into the coupling or connection 64 and ends in the ball bearing 160, as will be clear from Fig. 7. rllhat is to say, as will be disclosed below, said shaft 61 is cut in said coupling' 64.. and is continued by the shaft 65 which drives the electric generator 660 which is used for electrically lighting the car.

Going back to Figures 1, 2 and 6` it will be observed that associated with the carrier 12 is a projecting member 66 rigid with said carrier. and having an extension 67 forming a cup like support for one end of the spring 68 whose other end ts into a seat member 69. Referring more particularly to the enlarged view` Fig. 6, it will be observed that the rod 70 passes through the coiled spring rod seat member 68 and through the tension 69, and is screw threaded at its upper end as at 71 and that said rod 70 hangs from lll) the support 72 attached to the `member 24 as shown. The tension rod seat member 69 is provided with the wrench like member 73 which may be turned on the screw threads 71 in order to vary the compression of the spring 68.

The carrier support 12 and the member 66 being rigid with eachk other, whenthe spring 68 is under compression it will force the carrier support 12 and tread 9 toward the pulley 7, and thus maintain the friction between said parts 7 and 9. Due to the fact that the centers of the bevel gears 39 and 6() are substantially in the horizontal plane of the axis' of shaft 38, around which the carrier 12 oscillates, it will further be observed that should the car or truck go around a curve in the track the shafts 61 and will remain relatively stationary lwhile the axle 5 will swingwith the truck under the carrbody QSand beam 22: But the curved surface 8 of the pulley 7 being struck from the center bolt or the center pin ofv the truck, around which said truck swings, the tread 9 will remain in frictional contact with the curved portion 8 of said pulley while the shafts 38, 61 and 65 are travelling` in 'a direction different from ythat ofl the truck. Thus will the axles 61 and 65 be con? tinuously revolved by the gears 39 and 60 even though the axle 5 makes an acute angle with them. l

Corning to Figs. 7 and 8, it will be observed that the shaft 61 isprovided with a collar 7 5 rigid therewith, and that said collar is provided with the pair of earsy or lugs 76 to which are attached at one end the springs 77; and that the other ends of said springs are attached to the posts 7 S'which are rigid with the members 7 9 secured as by the means 80 to the head 81 of the coupling 64. Said head 81 is in turn rigid with thel shaft 65 as shown. It thus results that should the car suddenly stop and the momentum of the generator tend to carry its armature in the direction in which it was moving at the time the shock will be taken up by the springs 77 without straining the whole mechanism. In other words, without some such shock absorber ,as illustrated, the teeth ofvgear wheels and other weaker parts are liable to become broken or stripped. With this device, on the other hand, whether the driving means is suddenly stopped, or the power suddenly put on, the'shock is always absorbed by the springs 77 and a smooth working of the apparatus is secured. 'In' addition to this, whenever the power is transmitted through the springs 77 from the shaft 61 to shaft 65 no stra-in is suddenly put on the mechanism and a smooth operationis insured under all conditions. y

.It will now be clear that the mechanism disclosedinvolves a means 7 carried by the car axle for generating power; asecond means 9 carried by the car body for receiving and transmitting said power; a third means for supporting said power transmitting means and permitting the latter to move relatively to the car axle in a direction longitudinally thereof when the car goes around a curve; a fourth means for permitting said power transmitting means to oscillate around a fixed axis carried by and moving with the car body independently of the different movements of the car axle when the latter is rounding curves; a fifth means comprising a rotating shaft positioned in said axis provided with a gear constantly driven from said second means; and a sixth means driven' byk said gear for transmitting the,k

powe'r'to the electric generator.

Itis thereforerv animportant feature of this invention that said second means remains always in contact with said first named means and is enabled to continuously transmit its power to said fifth means under all conditions, of translation and rotation of said axle, whether the driving axle is moving in a direction different fiom the car 'body or not, and that said fifth means reing from the spirit ofthe invention and therefore I do not wish vto be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

What is claimed is: f

1. In a drive for electric generators carried on cars, the combination of curved means rotating with the car axle; curved means driven by said first named means; oscillating means comprising a pair of lug members supported from the car body for supporting said driven means; rotating means comprising a shaft disposed in the axis of oscillation of said third named means driven from said second namedmeans vand movable with the car body; generator operating means comprising a shaft and connections driven by said fourth named nea-ns; and means to support `said last named means from thecar body.

2. In a drive lfor electric generators, carried on cars, thecombination of a powery means moving with the carvaxle independently of the car body; a rotatable'shaft moving with the car body independently of the car axle; meansy for transmitpower means moving` with the car axle independently of the car body; a rotatable shaft moving with the car body independently of the car axle; means comprising a curved rotating member and an oscillating member for tranemitting` power from said axle to said shaft; and means disposed in a longitudinal plane of said shaft and moving vwith the car body independently of said axle for driving said generator.

Li. In a drive for electric generators carried on cars, the combination of a curved power transmitting means rigid with the car axle; a curved power receiving means movable longitudinally of said axle; oscillating means supported from the car body for carrying said curved receiving means; a rotating horizontally7 disposed shaft located in the axis of oscillation of said oscillating means; a horizontally disposed generator operating shaft supported from the car body and located in the horizontal plane of said firstnamed shaft; connections for transmitting power from said curved power receiving means to said first named shaft; and connections vfor transmitting power from said first named to said second named shaft.

5. In a drive for electric generators oarried on cars; the combination of a curved power transmitting means rigid with the car axle; a curved power receiving means movable longitudinally of said axle; oscillating means comprising a carrier support having a pair of lug members and a hollow upper portion supported from the car body for carrying said curved receiving means; a rotating horizontally disposed shaft located in the axis of oscillation of said oscillating means; a horizontally disposedr generator operating shaft supported from the car body and located in the horizontal plane of said first named shaft; connections comprising a sprocket wheel and chain for transmitting power from said curved power receiving means to lsaid first named shaft; andconnections comprising intermeshing gears for transmitting power from said rst named to said second named shaft.

G. In a friction drive for an electric gen erator carried on cars, the combination of a curved power transmitting member earried by the car axle; a reversely curved tread member to receive power from said axle; a shaft on which said tread member is mounted; an oscillating carrier member in which said shaft is mounted; a stationary hollow shaft carried by the car body around whichv said carrier member oscillates; and means for transmitting power from said first named shaft to said generator.

7. Inv a friction drive for an electric generator carried on cars; the combinationl 'if a curved power transmitting member carried by the car axle; a reversely curved tread member to receive power from said axle; a shaft on which said tread member is mounted; an oscillating carrier member in which saidvshaft is mounted; a stationary hollow shaft carried by the car body around which said carrier member oscillates; a rotating driven shaft mounted in said hollow shaft; and means comprising a sprocket and chain for transmitting power from said first named shaft to said seco-nd named shaft and from said second named shaft to said generator.

8. In a friction drive for an electric generator carried on cars7 the combination of a curved power transmitting member carried by the car axle; a reversely curved tread member to receive power from said axle; a shaft on which said tread member is mounted; an oscillating carrier member in which said -shaft is mounted; a stationary hollow shaft carried by the car body around which said carrier member oscillates; and means comprising a third shaft and resilient coacting connections for transmitting power from said first named shaft to said generator.

9. In a friction `drive for an electric generator carried on cars; the combination of a curved power transmitting member car ried by the car axle; a reversely curved tread member to receive power from said axle; a shaft on which said tread member is mounted; an oscillating carrier member in which said shaft is mounted; a stationary hollow shaft carried by the car body around which said carrier member oscillates; and means comprising sprocket wheels intermeshing gears and resilient connections for transmitting power from said first named shaft to said generator.

l0. In a friction drive for an electric generator carried on cars; the combination of a curved power transmitting member carried by the car axle; a reversely curved tread member to receive power from said axle; a shaft on which said tread member is mounted; an oscillating carrier member in which said shaft is mounted; a stationary hollow shaft carried by the car body around which said carrier member oscillates; adjustable means carried by said carrier member for adjusting the contact between said power transmitting and said power receiving members; and means for transmitting power from said first named shaft to said generator.

l1. In a drive for electric generators carried on cars, the combination of means rotating with the ear axle; means driven by said lirstnamed means; oscillating means supported from the ear body for supporting said driven means; an adjustable device carried by said oscillating means for moving said first and second named means toward n ried on oars, the combination of power means moving with the ear axle independently of the oar body; a rotatable shaft mov` ing with the oar body independently of the ear axle; means for transmitting power from said axle to said shaft; an adjustable device associated with said power transmitting means adapted to eontrolthe powery transmitted; and means disposed in a longitudinal plane of said shaft and moving with the carpbody independently of said axle for driving said generator. f f

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LAWRENCE M. FARLEYf 

